Sept. 6: Wildstein, the Port Authority's director of interstate capital projects, orders the bridge's general manager to carry out the closures.

Sept. 9: The Port Authority closes two of three local access lanes from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge, the nation's busiest crossing, bringing traffic to a halt and turning borough streets into a parking lot. Records show Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich calls Port Authority to ask what is happening.

Sept. 12: Sokolich writes to Christie appointee Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, and expresses the belief that the closures were "punitive" and asks they be lifted. Some suspect they were put in place because Sokolich, a Democrat, did not endorse Christie for re-election. Records show Wildstein e-mails Kelly and Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak a statement saying the Port Authority is "reviewing traffic safety patterns at the George Washington Bridge."

Sept. 13: Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye, an appointee of Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, directs bridge managers to lift the closures, saying they violated agency policy and jeopardized public safety as well as the agency’s "credibility." Records show Wildstein e-mailed Kelly to tell her of the change, saying, "We are appropriately going nuts. (Port Authority Chairman David) Samson helping us to retaliate."

Sept. 16: The Port Authority claims the closures were due to a traffic safety study.

Sept. 17: Baroni suggests in a conversation with Wildstein that they schedule a meeting "to stave off reporters."

Sept. 18: Wildstein writes to Christie's two-time campaign manager, Bill Stepien, and includes a story about the lane closures published in The Wall Street Journal. Stepien says, "It's fine. The mayor is an idiot, though," referring to Sokolich. Wildstein responds, "I had empty boxes ready to take to work today, just in case."

Oct. 2: Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, says he will convene a hearing to determine who ordered the lane closures and if they were politically motivated. Wildstein writes to Stepien that leaks by Foye need to be addressed, saying, "need to be sure all understand that a trash train bringing NYC garbage by rail through Westfield, East Brunswick, etc. is a very bad idea."

Oct. 16: The Port Authority announces it will undertake an internal review to determine why the lanes were closed and whether proper procedures were followed.

Nov. 5: Christie is re-elected governor in a landslide victory over Democratic challenger Barbara Buono, a state senator from Middlesex County.

Nov. 13: The Port Authority remains mum on the lane closures despite mounting criticism and a barrage of questions from reporters at its board meeting in Jersey City. Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) files a public records request seeking information and documents related to the lane closings.

Nov. 20: With the threat of subpoenas, Wisniewski requests that top Port Authority officials including Baroni, Foye and Wildstein testify before the transportation panel about the closures.

Nov. 25: At a hearing held by the Assembly transportation committee, Baroni says the closures were ordered by his direct subordinate, Wildstein, as part of a traffic study and acknowledges making a mistake by not notifying Foye, police or the public. Records show Baroni asks Wildstein how he performed. "Good," Wildstein said.

Nov. 27: Wisniewski subpoenas Foye to testify before the Assembly committee, and Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) writes a letter to Port Authority Inspector General Robert Van Etten requesting an investigation into the lane closures.

Dec. 2: Christie brushes aside speculation that the bridge closures were politically motivated, joking at a new conference, “I worked the cones. Unbeknownst to anyone, I was working the cones." The governor said he had nothing to do with situation.

Chris Christie's denials in George Washington Bridge closure scandal (video)As the scandal has emerged and grown, New Jersey Gov Chris Christie has repeatedly denied any connection between his office and the decision by two aides he appointed to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close two local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in early September 2013. A compilation of his statements throughout the month of December 2013. (Video by compilation by Brian Donohue/The-Star-Ledger)

Dec. 9: Foye testifies before the transportation committee that he was unaware of any traffic safety study being conducted on the bridge in September, despite the testimony of Baroni two weeks earlier. After the hearing, Wisniewski calls for Baroni's resignation.

Dec 10: The Port Authority's inspector general launches an investigation.

Dec. 11: A Democratic group connected to Hillary Clinton attacks Gov. Chris Christie over the Port Authority's closure of lanes leading to the nation’s busiest bridge.

Dec. 12: Wisniewski issues seven more subpoenas as his investigation into the closures widens. The requests seek documents and communications from Port Authority officials to determine what they knew about the traffic-snarling lane closures.

Dec. 13: Christie announces the resignation of Baroni and appoints his trusted staffer, Deborah Gramiccioni, to the post. The governor says the change was planned regardless of the controversy, and reiterates he had nothing to do with the lane closures.

Dec. 17: U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, asks the federal transportation secretary to investigate and determine what oversight the government has over the Port Authority.

Dec. 18: Baroni and Wildstein hire prominent lawyers and request more time to respond to Wisniewski's subpoenas. The assemblyman grants to the two men an extension until Dec. 23, but subpoenas for five other officials still due Dec. 19.

Dec. 19: Wisniewski announces he has received documents subpoenaed from five Port Authority officials. Christie again dismisses questions about the bridge scandal as nothing more than political gamesmanship. Weinberg and Wisniewski introduce a resolution in state Legislature calling on Congress to do a top-to-bottom review of the authority.

Dec. 20 Sokolich, the Fort Lee mayor, refutes Christie's assertion that no one called to complain about the traffic tie-ups caused by the lane closures. He says local officials reached out to the Port Authority multiple times for help.

Jan. 8: Christie's deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, was aware of a plan to shut down the lanes and knew the closures would snarl traffic on Fort Lee streets, remarking in an e-mail, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Wisniewski says Christie has lost all credibility on the scandal, calls it a coverup and pledges to seek answers from Kelly and others. Christie says in a statement he was misled by a member of his staff, had no knowledge of the closure and calls the actions unacceptable. He promises to hold people responsible, but gives no details about who or how.

Jan. 9: In a humble Statehouse news conference, Christie apologizes to Fort Lee, the people of New Jersey and the state Legislature for the actions of his staffers and announces the firing of Kelly. He also says Stepien will not serve as state Republican Party chair or as a consultant for the Republican Governors Association. He later goes to Fort Lee and personally apologizes to the people and Sokolich. Under oath, Wildstein refuses to answer questions from Wisniewski and the transportation committee, citing his rights under the state and federal constitutions. The committee holds him in contempt, which is a misdemeanor offense. Six people sue the state and Port Authority in federal court, claiming their were harmed by traffic delays. They seek a class-action certification.

Jan. 10: The state Assembly releases thousands of documents related to the bridge scandal, including profanity-laced exchanges between his staff. The papers provide no evidence that additional administration officials had advance knowledge of the plan, but they do show top aides to the governor were aware early on the issue proved a political threat to Christie.

Jan 11: Incoming Assembly speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) says in a statement he will call a special session Jan. 16 to reauthorize the subpoena power granted to Wisniewski's transportation committee. "Many questions remain unanswered about this threat to public safety and abuse of power," Prieto says.

Jan. 12: Appearing on “Face the Nation,” Wisniewski says the Assembly could move to impeach Christie if something comes to light revealing a direct link between the Republican governor and the September lane closures. But the lawmaker concedes, "We're a long way ahead of that."

Jan 13: Leadership in the state Assembly announces the formation of a special investigatory committee to continue to investigate the bridge scandal. The panel will be led by Wisniewski and will have subpoena power, as well as special counsel. The state Senate requests a joint committee but is rebuffed, and says instead it will form its own investigatory panel led by Weinberg. The Assembly transportation committee refers the contempt charge against Wildstein to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office for review.

Jan 14: Christie opens his annual State of the State address before a joint session of the state Legislature by making reference to the bridge scandal, saying, "we let down the people we are entrusted to serve." He again pledges his office's cooperation with "all appropriate inquiries."

Jan. 15: The soon-to-be-formed special investigatory committee in the Assembly says it plans to hire Reid Schar, the former federal prosecutor who put Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich behind bars, as its special counsel. The Assembly also announces the panel will include eight Democrats and four Republicans.

Jan. 16: Christie's office announces the hiring of former federal prosecutor Randy Mastro of the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to lead an internal review into the bridge scandal and to help the administration respond to ongoing investigations, including those by the Legislature and the U.S. Attorney's Office of New Jersey. The Assembly forms a special investigative committee and issues 20 new subpoenas for records to many top Christie staffers as well as the governor's office and his re-election campaign. A U.S. senator says a response from Port Authority on the bridge matter shows "zero evidence" of legitimate traffic study.

Jan. 18: A new scandal erupts when the Democratic mayor of Hoboken, Dawn Zimmer, claims the city was starved of Hurricane Sandy relief money because she refused to green-light a development project favored by Christie. Zimmer says Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Richard Constable, another member of the governor's cabinet, tried to strong-arm her to support the project, proposed by the Rockefeller Group. The group was represented at the time by Samson. The Christie administration denies any wrongdoing.

Jan. 19: Zimmer says she met with the U.S. Attorney's Office of New Jersey to discuss her allegations against the Christie administration as the governor's office pushes back, saying Hoboken "in no way lost out on relief funds."

Jan. 20: The Christie administration opens fire on Zimmer, launching a full public relations attack on the mayor and strongly refuting her claims. The choreographed offensive includes public rebukes from Christie allies Guadagno, Marc Ferzan — the governor's point man on rebuilding after the storm — and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who calls Zimmer's allegations "surprising" and "far-fetched." Meanwhile, the mayor says investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office visited the city to interview officials about her claims.

Jan. 21: The Assembly and Senate committees investigating the bridge scandal join forces and create a new, joint committee with subpoena power, to be led by Wisniewski and Weinberg. Wisniewski says it is too soon to say if the panel will investigate Zimmer's claims in addition to the bridge scandal. New details emerge about Christie's connection to the developer at the center of the Hoboken controversy, the Rockefeller Group, as a photo shows him with a top executive at the firm in September. The governor is sworn in for a second term as a snowstorm cancels his inauguration party.

Jan. 22: Polls show Christie's popularity sinking and Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who lost last year's race for governor of Virginia, says Christie should resign as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Jan. 23: Attorney Mark Sheridan, a lawyer representing Christie's re-election campaign and the Republican State Committee, reveals the organizations have been subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, confirming a criminal investigation into the bridge matter.

Jan. 24: The Port Authority refuses to pay the legal bills of Wildstein but says a decision has not yet been made regarding a similar request by Baroni.

Jan. 27: The state Legislature launches a joint investigative committee, combining parallel efforts by the Senate and Assembly. The panel reissues the 20 subpoenas handed out earlier in the month by the Assembly.

Jan. 30: Sheridan, the attorney for Christie's re-election campaign and the Republican State Committee, asks the state Election Law Enforcement Commission to allow them to use campaign funds to pay for legal bills associated with answering legislative subpoenas.

Jan 31: Wildstein's attorney, Alan Zegas, says in a letter to the Port Authority that "evidence exists" the governor knew about the closure of entrance ramps to the bridge when they occurred in September, "contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference." The lawyer for Stepien, Christie's two-time campaign manager, raises constitutional objections to the subpoena issued by the Legislature and says he will not provide any responsive documents. In the governor's office, one of the officials under subpoena, Christina Genovese Renna, the director of departmental relations, resigns. On another front, Hoboken confirms it received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Feb. 1: Christie is booed at Super Bowl event with other dignitaries.

Feb. 2: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani defends Christie from the governor's box at the Super Bowl.

Feb. 3: Christie delivers another lengthy defense during a radio interview and Bridget Anne Kelly, a crucial figure in the controversy, announces through her attorney that she refuses to produce documents requested under subpoena, citing the Fifth Amendment and other objections. Christie's story on when he first became aware of the lane closures and resulting traffic jam differs from past accounts, but he maintains that he knew nothing about them before they occurred. The governor also reveals his office was subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Feb. 4: Baroni and three other officials under subpoena turn over documents subpoenaed by the legislative committee. The Port Authority says it has abolished the job title held by Wildstein.

Feb. 6: Lawmakers begin reviewing approximately five binders of documents but expect thousands of more pages as more answer subpoenas.

Feb. 7: During his Jan. 9 news conference, Christie said he did not know Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich before the bridge scandal. But Sokolich says he and at least two other mayors dined with Christie at a luncheon at Drumthwacket, the governor’s mansion in Princeton, in 2010.

Feb. 10: The legislative committee issues 18 new subpoenas, targeting new members of Christie's inner office, more top officials at the Port Authority, and the State Police aviation unit, which is responsible for carrying the governor by helicopter.

Feb. 12: The legislative panel wants to know how closely Christie's office and allies at the Port Authority coordinated to blame the lane closings on a traffic study, records show.

Feb. 13: Republicans on the legislative panel accuse Democrats of keeping them in the dark about the fact that the latest subpoenas would seek records related to issues beyond the lane closings. Meanwhile, the traffic jam in Fort Lee appeared not to lead to anyone's death or seriously compromise their medical care, according to a comprehensive review by The Associated Press.

Feb. 20: Christie holds his first town hall meeting since the scandal broke, but no one in the crowd asks a question about it. Meanwhile, state Assembly Republicans unveil a package of legislation they say would reform the state's many independent authorities.

Feb. 24: Records turned over to the state legislative committee show Samson has been "intimately involved" with day-to-day operations of the Port Authority. Meanwhile, Sokolich meets with federal prosecutors for more than three hours.

Feb. 25: During his radio show, Christie says his office continues to try to figure out why lanes to the bridge were closed and will eventually announce conclusions of the review.